Climate adaptation in Wels and Wiener Neustadt: Great deficits found

Climate adaptation in Wels and Wiener Neustadt: Great deficits found

A new report by the Auditors examined the adaptation strategies of the cities of Wels and Wiener Neustadt to the climate crisis. The result is anything but gratifying: the report shows considerable deficits in the preparation and implementation of measures to better counter the challenges of the climate crisis.

The review published on Friday wonders how well the two cities - Wels with 64,000 and Wiener Neustadt with 48,000 inhabitants - are preparing to deal with the consequences of the climate crisis. This review is followed by a similar investigation more than three years ago, which had already illuminated climate policy in the federal states of Lower Austria and Upper Austria.

deficits in climate adjustment

On the basis of various aspects, it became clear that there is a lack of concrete measures to improve climate protection in both cities. Although there is an overall Austrian heat protection plan, neither Wels nor Wiener Neustadt have developed specific strategies to protect endangered people from extreme heat. Wels only worked out a strategy for climate adjustment a few months ago, while Wiener Neustadt presented a urban development plan from 2022 that only contains two specific measures.

The lack of urban climate analyzes that would be necessary to identify cold air bars is particularly worrying. These are of crucial importance for the climate nitness of cities. In addition, it is listed in the report that the green spaces are shrinking in Wels, whereas Wiener Neustadt shows areas that should be preserved, but are not sufficient to protect districts with a high risk of heat islands.

A planned part seal in Wels, which could possibly serve as a prime example of other cities, is mentioned positively.

effects and recommendations

The Court of Auditors already dealt with the climate protection measures in Upper and Lower Austria in detail in 2021 and found that the associated social costs could increase significantly by the middle of the century. The current report calls on the federal states to work more intensively and coordinated with the responsible ministries in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to achieve the national target for 2030

In addition to responsibility at the country level, the federal government is also obliged. It is required that clearer definitions of measures and precise implementation periods are presented to ensure effective action.

The challenge of cope with the climate crisis remains an urgent topic for the cities of Wels and Wiener Neustadt as well as for the respective federal states. The results of the report could be seen as a wake -up call to rethink and improve the existing structures and strategies. The comprehensive report of the Court of Auditors, which it read here, offers details